Virat Kohli confirmed on Thursday that he will step down as captain of India's T20I team after the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October-November. The bat star said that he will continue to lead India in Tests and ODI cricket."I've decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October," Kohli said in a statement that he shared on his social media handles. pic.twitter.com/Ds7okjhj9J— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021Virat Kohli has led India in 45 T20I internationals since taking over from MS Dhoni in 2017. He has a winning percentage of 64.44 with 29 victories and 14 defeats.Also Read- ICC mens T20I rankings: Indian captain Virat Kohli moves to No 4, KL Rahul retains sixth spotFor some time, there has been speculation about Kohli's future as white-ball captain especially in the backdrop of Rohit Sharma's brilliant track record of winning five IPL titles for Mumbai Indians.Discussed decision with Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma: Virat Kohli"Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket," Kohli said in a statement on his Twitter page."I have given my everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 captain and will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward," he further added.The decision, Kohli said, was taken after consulting head coach Ravi Shastri, his heir apparent Rohit, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah."Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit, who have been an essential part of the leadership group...," Kohli stated."I have also spoken to the secretary Mr Jay Shah and president of BCCI Mr Sourav Ganguly along with the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian cricket and Indian cricket team to the best of my ability," Kohli said.The T20 World Cup begins on October 17.Also Read- T20 World Cup: Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal among big names missing from India's 15-man squad
On paper, Punjab Kings and the Rajasthan Royals have more than a few things in common in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Both affected by the withdrawal of players and locked at six points each, the two teams will look to revive their falling campaign during their clash at Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.Wicketkeeper captains KL Rahul and Sanju Samson comfortably sit among the top six scorers of the tournament, but their individual efforts have left no impact on their team's performances so far.With the odds stacked against them in their 14th attempt to lift the elusive trophy, Punjab Kings will hope for their coach Anil Kumble and the leadership group to get their campaign back on track.Also Read- Virat Kohli to quit RCB captaincy after the end of IPL 2021 seasonDuring his playing career, Kumble had back India from the clutches of defeat on numerous occasions. With the former India captain name doing the rounds for a second stint as head coach of the national team once Ravi Shastri completes his tenure after the T20 World Cup, the legendary leg-spinner will look to prove his mettle as a franchise coach.Before his fallout with Virat Kohli, Kumble had coached India to the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final. However, his brief tenure as coach of the Punjab Kings has yet to produce the desired results. The Mohali-based franchise finished sixth in 2020 and is currently at the same spot midway into the IPL 2021 season.Tuesday's competition will be more about what kinds of starts can be made by the top order players on both sides. As for the Kings, Rahul and Mayank are expected to open with Chris Gale providing just the right momentum to their innings at No.3.Prabhsimran Singh is another exciting prospect at the top of the order in case he gets into the XI. The middle order will be manned by Mandeep Singh, M Shahrukh Khan and a toss-up between new recruit Aiden Markram and West Indian Nicholas Pooran, eager to get over a nightmarish first phase, where he got four ducks.Leg-spin remains Punjab's forte and the addition of experienced campaigner Adil Rashid, alongside the India pair of Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin, could come in handy in UAE conditions. The withdrawals of Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson means Mohammed Shami is set to be partnered by either Chris Jordan or Nathan Ellis. Left-armer Arshdeep Singh's improved death bowling will also strengthen his case.Similarly for the Rajasthan, a lot will depend on the start provided by power-hitters Liam Livingston and Evin Lewis. Coming to the IPL after some sensational performances in "The Hundred" for Birmingham Phoenix, Livingston will be excited to stretch his run, while at the same time his skills will be tested against a high-quality leg-spin.Weakened by the withdrawal of Ben Stokes, Joss Butler and Jofra Archer, Rajasthan hope that their Indian Players like Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya to turn the tide.Also Read- Pakistan vs New Zealand: Entire tour called off due to security concerns minutes before 1st ODI
India will look to end their underwhelming T20 World Cup 2021 campaign on a high when they take on Namibia in the final league game on Monday. Coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli would also eye a winning end to a significant chapter in the history of Indian cricket, as Shastri and Kohli are stepping down as the head coach and T20I captain after this tournament. Against Namibia, they will surely like to win it big and skipper Kohli would do a world of good if he allows the likes of Rahul Chahar to get a game and gives Ishan Kishan another go. The senior players would gain precious little against the David Wiese's of the world save for beefing up their individual statistics. Very rarely has an Indian team played such an inconsequential game at an ICC event since its last league game in the 1992 World Cup against South Africa after already being out of the race for the semi-finals. It is not the first time that India is out of a global tournament before the last four stages, but it was not at all frustrating when one can clearly read the writing on the wall. The two losses to Pakistan and New Zealand -in which they got outplayed - had already put India on the exit path. From there, it was more of a battle pitching hope against hope and it eventually all came crashing with New Zealand's eight-wicket win over Afghanistan. And that is something that will hurt Shastri, a proud man, who has done his bit to make this a formidable all-condition Test team with a lethal fast bowling attack. Their fabulous term saw India achieve the pinnacle of Test cricket glory with back-to-back series wins in Australia, a near-win on the recent tour of England, three dominating seasons at home and a phenomenal run up to the semifinals of the 2019 ICC 50-over World Cup. This campaign also brings an end to the four-year stint of head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar, who have decided to move on. For Kohli, who is all set to even lose his ODI captaincy in the coming days, this wasn't how he would have liked to end his T20 captaincy stint with the national team having already quit IPL captaincy. It is also the first time since the 2013 Champions Trophy that an Indian men's team has failed to reach at least the semi-final stage of an ICC event. They were champions in the 50 over Champions Trophy in 2013, followed by runners-up finish in T20 World Cup in 2014. In the 2015 ODI World Cup, the team lost in the semifinals. The 2016 t20worldcup saw them reach the last four stage while they lost to Pakistan in the 2017 final of the 50-over Champions Trophy. In 2019, his ODI World Cup campaign ended in the semi-finals, and the two-year Test World Championship also ended in a final defeat. A combination of factors led to this debacle and if Kohli's poor captaincy and selection is one factor, the problems were certainly compounded by players like Hardik Pandya, who didnt reveal the full extent of their fitness status to the national selectors. However, these fatigue-levels notwithstanding, the team faltered on multiple fronts too. Shreyas Iyer and Yuzvendra Chahal's non-selection, uncertainty about who'll open, an unplanned middle-order and not having a game plan with an in-form Shardul Thakur in focus could've been aspects for the indian cricketer to look at. cricket india will take the flight back home and begin their journey to the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup under new head coach and a new captain on a fresh note. Namibia have managed to beat only Scotland so far in their Super 12 engagements after making the tournament-proper for the first time in the T20 format. Teams:India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy, Shardul Thakur Namibia: Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Stephen Baard, Karl Birkenstock. Michau du Preez, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, Nicol Lofie-Eaton, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Michael van Lingen, David Wiese, Craig Williams and Pikky Ya France.Also Read- Babar Azam Becomes First Captain To Score 3 Fifties In T20 World Cup
